Keep me going (have a place for me to return)
by Kate-foreverfan
Summary: Your home is where your heart is. And at times you leave that home. It's a real blessing when you have the surety that the home you left will always have a place for you to return. Sometimes a little support from an old friend might be all the help you need to remember that truth. [Daisy & Andrew friendship, minor ZQ & MelDrew]


**Notes:**

It's a little jumbled, fast-paced and can be abrupt in places ... sooorryyyyy.

Some liberties with Daisy's abilities.

Playing around with canon events a little and inserting my personal pet-headcanon in which Daisy and Andrew had already met at some point during his early trainee-ship and her meetings different shrinks while in the system and left an unforgettable impression on each other (for the sake of this story at least).

Just sharing my love for Daisy and Andrew and their almost not seen but still very palpable (at the least for us) relationship on the AoS show.

* * *

Everything was so loud these days. At times it seemed as if all the vibrations, that Daisy felt constantly, were amplified. At this second the air itself was not transmitting the world's chatter, but emanating oscillations all by itself. Daisy longed for some kind of respite, to be somewhere easy and sweet. So few places came to mind with that description. Even fewer people fit it – only Coulson, May and Andrew. Daisy cracked a sad smile. Her time with Andrew was very often cut short, but every meeting had brought her a sense of familiarity and comfort, reaching farther than their first meeting in the BUS's Cage. After the events at the Iliad, when discussing everything with the man – it struck Daisy strange as Andrew offered to talk to him as a friendly face, not a psychologist – Daisy had finally remembered the time, when Doctor Garner had been a frequent guest at the orphanage.

When she was seven and the adults looked all the same and treated her with the same indifferent curiosity (if such thing even exists), this big man with kind eyes and sincere smile introduced himself as Drew, asked for her name and offered to do whatever she wanted, despite the experience Skye was fascinated. Drew kept coming back and did so till the time Skye was being sent off to the next family. He gave her his number and urged Skye to call him at the best opportunity. They hugged and Skye couldn't believe she had to say goodbye to her only friend.

The events following that night were best left in the darkest recesses of Daisy's mind. The contact between them was lost and up until the day May invited a vaguely familiar man in the Cage, Daisy honestly tried to forget about her first best friend.

A tear escaped Daisy's eye, as she thought of Andrew. She would have given anything for a chance to have even one more chat with him. They never did manage to speak of their previous encounters – there was never enough time. Sheer exhaustion and the brutality of May's words were the last thing Daisy felt as she curled in onto herself on the floor of the quinjet and gave in to the ringing that permeated the space around her.

When after some time May and Coulson approached the platform to speak with her, they found Daisy not asleep but unconscious, her eyes half opened. The looks they exchanged were fearful and worried. Melinda suddenly understood how foolish she had been. Daisy didn't need her berating and cross glances, and even less she needed to be reminded of her deceased boyfriend. As Phil was already lifting Daisy into his arms and making a move for the med bay, Melinda swiftly went after him.

~ DOMS ~

The feeling of safety and warmth that had been escaping Daisy for the last 8 months was enveloping her now. The silence was almost deafening but at the same time brought a sense of peace, so that the absence of any vibrations, which Daisy has grown accustomed to and even come to love, didn't even faze her.

"Daisy." That voice. She knew the speaker. "Daisy. Wake up. You might not believe me, but the visitors are hard to come by here." Dry humor and teasing she has become very fond of in the time of their acquaintance urged Daisy to open her eyes and see if she went completely nuts. Her room at the base has never seemed so wide and filled with color as it did now. Andrew Garner was perched at the side of her bed, gently tugging on her shoulder.

"Dreaming, right?" Daisy scratched at her nose bridge to dispel the last traces of sleep. "Stop grinning, Drew."

"I didn't say anything." The smile in Andrew's voice was undeniable.

"You were thinking loudly enough." Daisy sat up and unabashedly leaned into his freely offered embrace. Daisy's fingers gripped fiercely at the man's back as several tears spilled onto his neck. Andrew sighed deeply and brought Daisy deeper into the hug so she almost sat on his lap with legs placed to the side. She didn't care. Daisy wasn't sure how much time they spent in that position, but soon both simultaneously leaned back, Daisy absorbing the sight of her friend after what seemed like the ultimate separation. Andrew shook his head, indicating that he knew Daisy was blaming herself.

"It was still my decision" he said firmly. "You know that."

Daisy started to protest but, seeing Andrew's assured smirk, punched him lightly instead. "Don't be a jerk. I'm trying to own up here," she said, sounding almost petulant.

"There is nothing to own up to. Nobody is to blame here. And that is the topic for another time," Andrew shushed her, knowing Daisy was going to bring up her mother. "Jiaying was doing what she thought was best. As did I. As do you."

Daisy was torn. The thin veil of serenity that was blanketing her started to recede. The emotional upheaval was almost onto her and she had no idea how to handle it. At that moment, Andrew caressed her head and smiled encouragingly at her. Though both were tremendously happy to see each other, Daisy suspected that this was nothing but a figment of her tired mind… and too much of a coincidence, as she had just been thinking about him.

"Daisy, this is a dream. And not." Andrew spoke again and Daisy felt like their time was running out. She had an inkling as to why this walkabout might be happening, and in the circle of her friend's arms she bravely dived in.

"Why are they doing this, Andrew?" Tears were escaping Daisy's eyes as she again buried her face into Andrew's shoulder. She meant Jemma and May, Mack and Fitz. Coulson she was still so sure of but the niggling speck of doubt was present even with him. And even if Phil hasn't said anything and nothing in his vibrations gave away any hints of anger or resentment, Daisy still felt as if she were on a cusp of his patience and that the next time they talked Phil would end up spilling his frustration. The way Daisy was wired, she herself was astonished at the level of trust, respect and even need she has always felt for Phil's presence in her life – whatever that presence may be.

"They are afraid." Andrew tightened his arms around the young woman, feeling her tense. "Not of you, dear. You know that." He caressed her cheek tenderly.

Daisy nodded. She did know. After these years, Daisy knew her teammates and knew the way each of them approached things. "This doesn't make it hurt less. I thought they would understand. Especially May and Mack." She had long since overcome the heartache of disappointment about the state of her relationship with the FitzSimmons duo. Gradually, month by month as she was becoming an agent and trying to help both May and Coulson, and Jemma was losing herself in attempts to save Fitz, and he in turn recovering from their ocean escapade, they all lost touch with each other. Then came the undercover HYDRA assignment, the writings and the temple and after she received her powers, Daisy altogether stopped recognizing her friends who had become worse than strangers.

And May…

As if he heard her thoughts Andrew answered. "Melinda is still too deep in her own nightmares, no matter what bridges we have managed to mend and however much happiness we got together on that vacation. And she has always been worried when it comes to you. First _because_ of you and what it meant to unexpectedly have you in her vicinity." Daisy cringed a little at those early days and how much their miscommunications and misunderstandings stalled her and May's relationship. Andrew continued, "After that it's always been only _for_ you." Daisy bristled at this a little.

"She's not my mother. She is my friend. All three of them are. Or at least I think they are." Daisy felt safe admitting her uncertainties here, in this pocket universe. And not to just anybody, but to Drew, who knew her and had known both Phil and Melinda for years. Mack Andrew knew close to nothing about and had difficulty saying anything on that front without sounding insensitive or too wise-ass. So he advanced on with what he knew within the very essence of his being.

"Daisy." How she had missed Andrew's voice. Soothing and understanding, though it didn't become that at once, Daisy remembered wryly. "They _are_ your friends. And they are afraid of not knowing how to help you, and our people, what they would have done in your place and so…"

"They project..." she semi-whispered.

"And lash out." Their voices intermingle as Andrew and Daisy finish his thought. The scenery around them changed and now instead of her room at the Playground, Daisy found herself siting with Andrew at the porch in her once most-favorite home. It was a nice and loving pair that had taken her in and for those 5 months she had felt loved and cherished and taken care of. Daisy was 6.

Now the air was fresh and smelled of the oncoming winter. They were sitting closely, in silence as Daisy tossed and turned the puzzle pieces in her mind.

"So, what should I do, Drew?" She asked eventually, somehow knowing that he didn't need to hear all the nuances.

"Do whatever you need to do, Daisy. What you want to. Do what feels right. And they will be there when the mission is firmly underway and you are breathing easier." Andrew threw his arm around her shoulders, bringing Daisy even closer and gently kissing her temple.

"And you? Where you will be, Andrew?" Daisy leaned back and firmly pecked him on the check. "You know, I'm always gonna need my first friend, right?" Feeling the pull, Daisy grinned at his bewildered face and winked. "Ah, ah, how could I forget? Shame on you, Drew."

Andrew then beamed at her disappearing form, waving back and started to laugh. This girl would always come out on top. When the world around him started to dim, he went calmly, knowing that Daisy Johnson – that Skye, who still lived and breathed freely within this bright woman – would be alright.

~ DOMS ~

For the last 20 minutes, having managed to push for as much flight time as they were able to safely figure out what was happening, Phil and Melinda were sitting near Daisy's bed by both sides, keeping their eyes on the young woman currently lying with hers closed and breath even. By the time Phil stormed into the infirmary with Daisy, all signs indicated that she was just asleep. The doctors couldn't tell them anything – good or bad, firstly because of Daisy's already gaunt and exhausted state and secondly because nothing out of the ordinary was happening. They finally moved her into Phil's bunk for more comfort, though both were hesitant to admit that in half it was for their own peace of mind.

"I shouldn't have pushed so much." Melinda's voice at last broke the silence that settled over them.

Phil, knowing his friend, was sure that May's explanation had a good reason to be spoken. "Maybe not now. But you needed to say it, even if it was not the time for Daisy to hear." He straightened in his chair and reached to cradle Daisy's right hand. Smoothing her fingers and gently putting her palm to his cheek, Phil muttered. "We need to stop thinking about ourselves." Squinting his eyes, Coulson stared unseeing, "Gotta stop and just listen."

"Listen to what, Phil?" May's voice was hushed and attentive. She knew from the moment she saw these two on the BUS, standing closely and as equals but only just having met, scrutinizing the mission parameters before them that Daisy and Phil had an understanding, and watching them further Melinda, through the years, had come to realize that Daisy and Phil had an unparalleled connection. And so she had long concluded it's better to listen to them on the matters of each other.

"To everything she is not saying." Phil closed his eyes altogether, pressing his lips into Daisy's palm.

May choked down the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. She should have known. Melinda chuckled mirthlessly at her own blindness. It didn't matter that she had only seen Daisy for the last day and a half and only for several minutes at that. As she had so carelessly told her young friend, she _had_ invented all the moves she saw Daisy so professionally implementing. The fear of hurting those she loved, amplified by quite real superpower, with which the damage caused couldn't be undone. The lover lost – no matter how underserving of this woman, – not by your words but by your actions. The addiction… Melinda should have….

May couldn't listen to her own thoughts any longer and raised her eyes not sure when she had lowered them, only to notice the brightness in Phil's. A quiet, simple "Coulson." was the answer to that brightness and Melinda watched as Daisy stroked Phil's cheek with a fond smile on the young woman's face. As May hastily wiped at moist eyes, Daisy held out her left hand and without even a second thought Melinda reached greedily back, lacing their fingers tightly.

For the next few minutes the three of them sat in comfortable silence, talking without uttering a word. That they were all good at, but sometimes words needed to be said out loud.

"It was not my place, Daisy, to …." Melinda swallowed the lump in her throat, "berate you like some infantile person. You are already everything I could have ever hoped to be myself." She squeezed Daisy's hand in hers. "And you're just getting started. I'm sorry for that last conversation."

Daisy couldn't bear listening to May be so harsh on herself. "Stop, please." She gulped some air, and Phil got up to give her some water, not letting go of Daisy's hand, as if anchoring himself. After taking a few sips, Daisy continued

"I understand, we all run high on emotions, but so rarely spell them out." That managed to extract a smile from both Phil and Melinda, "and I am grateful for you and all that it entails, having you on my side and in my life, caring about me." She tugged at their entwined hands and managed to drag Melinda into a hug, letting go of Phil for a moment. "I couldn't have done it without you. But you need to let me go." Drawing away Daisy met Melinda's somewhat confused look. "Some things are better worked on outside the system." A small, familiar, mischievous smirk broke out on May's face.

"And that's how you work best." The women exchanged an understanding looks and smiled.

Coulson watched them with a still-heavy heart but a lighter soul. He so hated seeing them at odds with each other.

"Daisy." Phil got the best feeling in his heart when Daisy's eyes as always so swiftly turned to him at the address to her. "You will need some supplies. And a good communication line." He was certain that in the time it took to wrap up all this mess with Eli and the Darkhold, Daisy would have managed to build up some foolproof way for the three of them to keep in touch.

"Sure thing, AC. Thank you." They always understood each other without a hitch, with the rare exceptions of trying to protect one another.

Melinda felt it was time to go make an appearance for the Zephyr1 crew and at the same time give the two some time alone. Their unspoken but evident _thing_ was still in the simmering stage, but Melinda was sure the present circumstances wouldn't allow Daisy and Phil any shaky status quo retention. As she walked out of the room, May felt calmer about everything even if it all was still on a quite shaky ground. Here Mel's lips quirked as she made her way to the main deck and began to ascertain their position.

Without preamble Coulson got up as Daisy moved sideways on the bed and they lied down, hugging.

"Everything will work out."

"For the best?"

"We won't agree to anything less. You know me."

"Yeah. And you know me."

"I do." They smiled at each other.

Phil moved closer and pressed his cheek to Daisy's. "We have the worst timing, wouldn't you agree?"

Daisy giggled. "The worstest."

For the remainder of their flight, neither moved.

 **The End**


End file.
